1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed generally towards a system and method for pad processing a spooled photographic film, and more specifically towards a system and method for processing a spooled photographic film using processing webs from a multitude of processing spools which are housed in a spool caddy as disclosed in Polaroid case no. 8222, entitled "Spool Caddy For Use With Dry Optical Image Processing of Roll Film", having United States provisional application Ser. No. 60/040,662 filed on Mar. 11, 1997 and also filed as an utility patent application on even date herewith, the latter being incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pad processing is a well known dry optical image processing technique for processing a photographic film using webs, also known as pads, which contain processing fluids. Pad processing is considered a dry processing technique since liquid chemical baths are replaced with reagent laden webs which have been imbibed with processing chemicals. Sometimes a pad is saturated with processing chemicals and at other times, the processing chemicals are stored in a rupturable pod. When the pod is ruptured, the processing chemicals are spread across the web as a first step towards film development. Many variations of pad processing have been exercised over the years although typically a singular processing web, i.e. a monopad, is combined with the emulsion side of a film for film development. However, in order to process a film using a monopad, both the film structure and the processing chemicals within the monopad become very complicated in order to accommodate the numerous varied processing steps such as developing, fixing and bleaching.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,366 issued Aug. 8, 1995 to Reiss and Cocco, a system and method are disclosed whereby individual processing pads are sequentially wrapped onto a single processing spool. One embodiment discloses a processing spool which houses all the processing webs such as: a first reagent laden web which could be imbibed, for instance, with developing chemicals; a second reagent laden web which could be imbibed, for instance, with bleaching and fixing chemicals; and a third reagent laden web which could be imbibed, for instance, with washing and stabilizing chemicals. A photographic film is housed in a separate standard 35 mm cartridge. The first web is combined with the film for a first preset time, then the first web and the film are separated and the second web and the film are combined for a second preset time, then the second web and the film are separated and the third web and the film are combined for a third preset time. After the third web and the film are separated, the optical processing of the photographic film is complete. However, the standard size 35 mm cartridge limits the number of exposures available from such a combined web/film spool. If the cartridge was made larger to hold more exposures, then it would not fit into a standard 35 mm camera. Also, the above film processing system requires a tandem of processing webs separated from one another by foil but housed on a single spool. Many significant problems arise in housing all processing pads on a single spool and attempting to keep the various processing pads isolated from one another before and during processing.
The above and other disadvantages of existing processing systems are overcome by the systems and methods disclosed hereinafter in keeping with the principles of the present invention.